Year 9 Digital TechnologiesUnits 1 and 2
ASSESSMENT LESSON 5

Improve Object Interaction and Link to Criteria 🔁

Today you improve the object mechanism using evidence from your first tests.

The best improvement is not the fanciest one. It is the one that solves a real problem you observed.

Today’s goal

Improve the object mechanism and refine your self-determined criteria so your rover has clear quality goals.

Before you leave

Complete Engineering Entry 5 with a before/after improvement or a clear next improvement.

Minimum portfolio pages to complete today

Today’s folder work should show how your design decisions connect to project requirements.

Starter Pack page Minimum work for today
Engineering entry tracker Add Entry 5 when it is completed and signed off.
Self-determined criteria Choose or refine at least two quality goals that can be tested or checked.
Prescribed criteria Check that Mobility, Object interaction, Durability and Component protection have useful notes.
Initial design sketches Update the sketch if the mechanism changed today. Add labels that show what changed.

Improve one real problem

Choose one problem from your mechanism or drivetrain, then make one purposeful change.

Object slips out
Mechanism bends or twists
Rover tips while lifting
Object cannot be transported reliably
Criteria examples

Here are some good criteria help you judge your own rover. However, you are NOT limited to these for your self-defined criteria. Just remember, they should connect to something you can test, observe or explain.

Object interaction success rate
Stability while lifting
Ease of control
Repairability after testing
Extension ideas if your group is ahead

Choose an extension that suits your own design. Do not copy another group’s solution. Record what you tried, why you tried it, and what happened.

  • Create a simple repeatability test for your mechanism and record how many attempts worked.
  • Compare two versions of the same mechanism and explain which one better meets your criteria.
  • Improve cable management or component protection without reducing the mechanism’s movement.
  • Add a second self-determined criterion that is specific to your design, such as lift stability or transport reliability.

Engineering Entry 5: what a detailed entry needs

Use the entry sheet properly. Your entry should tell the story of what happened this lesson, not just list tasks.

Entry section What to include today
What I/we did today Write the problem you chose to improve, the design change you made, and how the change connects to your criteria.
Problem, test or checkpoint Choose one important problem, test, decision or checkpoint from the lesson.
What I noticed and thought Explain what you observed and what you think caused the result or problem.
What changed or was fixed Describe the change you made, or explain what needs to change next if it is not fixed yet.
Result and next step Record what happened after the change or test, then write the next sensible action.
Evidence space Add a labelled sketch, labelled diagram, measurement, test result, code note, observation or photo reference.
Helpful sentence starter: “The problem we focused on was... We changed... This helped the project requirements because...”

Before you leave: ask for teacher feedback/sign-off, then put the entry sheet in your clear plastic folder.

Year 9 Digital Technologies • Assessment Lesson 5 • VEX IQ Gen 2 Rover